


Sunsets

by dragonfruittea



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Office, Boys Kissing, CEO Kim Minseok, Coffee, Confused Minseok, Dating, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Female Do Kyungsoo | D.O, Female Kim Jongin | Kai, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, I mean you've gotta squint though lets be real, Implied Sexual Content, Kissing, M/M, Secretary Oh Sehun, so much coffee
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-01
Updated: 2017-12-01
Packaged: 2019-02-08 23:02:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12874914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonfruittea/pseuds/dragonfruittea
Summary: There are days when Minseok will watch the whole sunset, gets some sort of kick out of the colour changes and the silence. On those days he lounges in his chair, shirt unbuttoned a little, matching messier hair than usual and dull cologne from too early that morning.Sometimes the sunset isn’t enough.





	Sunsets

**Author's Note:**

> Right well I'm going to pretend like I didn't set out to right loads of porn and ended up with 10k of fluff. Again. 
> 
> I hope you guys like it and thank you for all the support on the last fic, it's made me really proud of it.

Minseok taps his desk with his fingernails, rhythmically but unnecessary, the kind of habit he succumbs to when he’s got a deadline and no cigarettes. Its just the paperwork for a trade deal and he should probably calm down over it but his name is at stake because of the hundred or so people tapping away behind bright screens a floor down from his office. He insists on having an office away from the chaos, up one floor and to the left from the elevators, floor to ceiling windows for natural light and people-watching. It calms him, west facing for excellent sunsets and shadier mornings, when Minseok has less pleasant feelings towards sunlight. 

He’s definitely anxious now, there’s nothing he can do, his part of the negotiation, finalising, excessive handshakes and pleasantries completed, just his company paperwork left, just an hour or so left. 

He spins himself towards the eight o’clock sunset, deep orange colour dissected by the other high rise buildings around him. He tries to calm himself, tells himself there are plenty of stressed high ups downing bitter coffee in posh suits just like him.

There are days when Minseok will watch the whole sunset, gets some sort of kick out of the colour changes and the silence. On those days he lounges in his chair, shirt unbuttoned a little matching messier hair than usual and dull cologne from too early that morning. Its enough to bring him a little peace. He only wishes the city lights weren’t so bright so he could see the stars at night. It mostly reminds him he shouldn’t be working this late.

Sometimes the sunset isn’t enough. Sometimes the only cure for impatience is nicotine and something tells him he’s got a secretary nice enough to sort him out. He moves to sit on the edge of his desk, leaning casually against it as he picks up his phone and texts Sehun, even though he can see him through the glass office doors in front of his desk. 

Come here 

He waits for Sehun to get his message, waits to see the little giggle on his face at Minseok’s mild impoliteness because he knows Minseok never means it. Minseok’s phone flashes and Sehun has replied for once, usually just carries out his order.

Already got you some

Before he works out the finer details of the message his secretary is stood in front of him, one hand casually slipped into the pocket of his dark grey slacks, pulling them taught around his thighs, the other hand balancing a box of Marlboro Gold against his fingertips, extended for Minseok to take. 

Minseok is a little confused as to how Sehun knew he needed them until he sees a little smirk playing at his lips, like inside information.

“I’m not that predictable am I?” 

“Never said you were, sir”

He even remembers the brand and type Minseok has, remembers his coffee in the mornings, his deadlines and when his flights are. Minseok never remembers any of that. Maybe he is predictable, or maybe Sehun is good at his job.

“Anything else you need?”

Minseok wants to say, yes please, just talk to me. He wants to tell Sehun it’s too empty in his office, that he’s been in here too long with just the sunset for company and maybe, just for once, he wants to talk to someone.

“No, I’m good thanks. The paperwork... how’s it going?”

“Great, twenty minutes tops, just collating the last few bits”

And he’s gone that quickly, leaving Minseok to wonder if he’s even got a lighter on him or not.  
_____________________________________________________________________________________

 

He’s going to miss the sunset tonight, he thinks, as he piles boring paperwork together hoping they look neat enough for his tiredness to outweigh his OCD until tomorrow when he’ll sort them properly. There’s a seven o’clock reservation at some posh restaurant not too far from work, some doe eyed brunette girl he’d met at a business evening, taken a liking to her humour and her smile and thought why not. She’s pretty, navy blue dress trailing behind her in the wind and he thinks it’s too cold for something like that but he appreciates the extra effort anyway. Her smile is as pretty as before, she’s sweet, as ambitious as Minseok and wants a dog one day. They both love coffee, agree that Italy is somewhere they’re dying to visit, just to try out all the coffee they can. 

She’s a perfect match for me, is a phrase playing on Minseok’s mind. Except it’s not, because they’re not. He’s not getting the spark he wants, has always wanted.

Fingertips interlocked with hers, Minseok orders a bottle of sweet white, nothing too strong on the pallet and simple appetisers, variations of seeded ciabatta to compliment the Italian theme of the night.

At some point towards the end of the starter his fingertips slip down to her wrist, stroking over the pulse point and the slim silver chain around it. She lets him, keeps talking as if he’s not doing it at all but she responds with her own little touches where she can, gently encouraging him. The break apart to eat, complimenting the tenderness of the meat and how balanced the sauce is. Minseok doesn’t care about that, has been in this restaurant at this very table many a time, fingers slipped around someone else’s wrist, the same wine on his tongue. 

They’ve shifted somewhat closer to each other by the dessert, Minseok spooning mango sorbet into her mouth, insisting she has to know how good this tastes, that sorbet is sorely under appreciated in comparison to ice cream. She giggles, tells him that’s silly, nothing beats a tub of chocolate ice cream and a movie on a Saturday night. Minseok can’t say he disagrees but he doesn’t mention it. 

He’s moved his fingers back to the inside of her wrist, subconsciously pulls his next manoeuvre on her, grazes his nails ever so slightly where he’s been stroking, just enough to incite something. She’s shifting a little more and Minseok knows he’s won, he’s not got the girl of his dreams here but he’s got a less lonely Friday night and he can’t complain. With a swift flick of the wrist he’s called for the bill and extends a hand to help her up and into her coat. 

Its October, bordering on winter and colder nights but there’s enough warmth out for now. She looks cold, even drowning in thick material.

“I should make a note to come back here” he says, as if he’s not on personal terms with the owner. “The company was nice” 

They’re stood close, huddled to the left of the glass doors by the decorative plants Minseok hates. There’s a few strands of deep brown hanging over her eyes, pushed there by the breeze outside. He sweeps them from her face, as romantically as he can manage, letting his thumb smooth over her jaw on the way down. 

Her lips are plush and give under the wet slide of his own. He keeps it slow, passionate so she knows what he wants, deep to make her want the same. The wine is Baekhyun’s best and gives him a warm buzz, setting in at the bottom of his spine, encourages his kisses to deepen. Little gasps leave her lips, getting slowly more needy and he goes in for the kill, pulls the edge of her bottom lip between his teeth and pulls, grazing them over rosy skin until he feels her hand grip his own a little tighter. 

“Let me drive you home”

It’s not a regular gig, this dating thing. He doesn’t pay attention to his strategy all that much but it rarely fails him. Baekhyun happens to be a friend with a damn good restaurant close enough to his office and his favourite, corner table with the comfy seats is just a phone call away, even if he usually gets Sehun to make the call. Friday nights with pretty girls isn’t exactly common but certainly isn’t rare either. Maybe it’s just that the nights he spends at home include a tub of ice cream and a movie, which doesn’t always beat soft skin and pliant lips.

Smooth, supple skin feels perfect under his grip as he holds her in the right position, soft gasps filling the silence around them. He punches in a little harder, wanting to get her there and she gets louder, nails clawing through garish throw pillows that her lips catch on as she whispers please.

A week later he’s at it again, pretending he’s managed to guess that this wine would be the best and that this table makes the best of the delicate string lights on the ceiling above them, their warm glow hitting her cheekbones just right.  
_____________________________________________________________________________________

 

The weeks seem to be getting longer, deadlines, deals and diplomacy piling up on top of his desk, spilling from his in tray towards other piles of unsorted work. There’s a tension in his shoulders that just wont lift, fuzzy vision indicating how tired he actually is. He’s fuelled purely by caffeine half the time, sleeping when he can and working out the excess anger on the low row machine. His skin is crawling, fingers tapping insanely on the desk needing some sort of relief he just can’t get. There’s a full pack of cigarettes in his briefcase, front pocket to the left, lighter tucked down the side. He wants to reach for them so badly, see if they can calm him even just a little. 

“I know you wanna quit.” 

Minseok misses the door closing, the footsteps of his secretary, the glass ashtray, clean and unused, as Sehun places it on the mountains of papers.

“But driving yourself insane wont help. Just have one”

Minseok breathes deeply, sighs because he knows Sehun is right, he’s never been good at the cold turkey method anyway. With a small smile he slips the cigarette between his lips, balances it in the plumpness of the bottom one, relaxed while he finds his lighter. 

Sehun is there first, reaching in front of Minseok until Minseok catches the flame from the lighter with the end of his cigarette. He inhales deeply, letting the smoke fill his lungs enough to burn a little, letting it cloud back out again.

Sehun is already on the way to the door, having swapped the files he needed. He looks over his shoulder, catches Minseok’s dark eyes with his own.

“You know where I am boss”

Minseok takes an extra deep drag to conquer the the unease in his stomach because whoever made Sehun gave him beautiful eyes.  
_____________________________________________________________________________________

 

It’s probably getting a little late, a little past the sunset he loves so much, but not late enough to motivate him to go home yet. The in-tray is slowly becoming several sorted trays and honestly he should digitalise paperwork because this is insane. By the time he’s emptied it, neatly organised his whole desk, straightened the tiny cactus at the end, his favourite pen just next to it, he feels better, a bit. There’s a familiar itch that only nicotine can scratch under his skin but he’s trying to ignore it, focus on the last few e-mails.

There’s a warmth thats making him realise he’s cold, its predominantly on his left side and he shivers, disorientated. 

“Minseok”

The warmth is moving now, gently stroking over his upper arm, where his shirt stretches over his biceps.

“Minseok, you can’t sleep at your desk”

His eyes won’t even open, too clouded by sleep, by the exhaustion he’s been putting himself through lately. He’s drifting, disorientated and unfocussed, A few minutes pass and he’s hanging semi-conscious wondering why someone keeps saying his name.

Sehun perches on his desk, keeps trying to slowly wake Minseok. He nudges the Mac that looms over the desk, imposingly large and immaculately clean. It wakes and illuminates the surrounding area with bright white light, Minseok’s e-mail account lying open and semi-sorted.

The light does it, hitting the backs on Minseok’s eyelids and forcing him out of sleep, forcing him to bury his eyes in his arms, groaning at the uncomfortable pain that sears up his back from sleeping on his paperwork. It’s dark outside and Sehun’s poking around with his Mac, trying to find the night mode button to replace too much brightness.

The hand is back on his arm, still trying to wake him as pleasantly as possible and Minseok just lets it happen because it’s comforting.

“Let’s get you home, sir”

Home sounds good right now. Minseok’s colossal bed with the softest pillows he could find and his favourite Egyptian cotton bedding, coconut oil scented because he loves the way it smells in the morning. He wants to lay there for days, sink into the expensive home he has, the one he spends barely any time in. Unfortunately he needs to get there first.

Sehun has his briefcase and suit jacket, is waiting for him by the door, a soft smile warming his face, complimenting his rosy cheeks. Minseok makes his way towards him, slow and heavy with sleep, pushing dark hair from his eyes and he knows he looks like shit but Sehun keeps smiling at him and he feels a little fuzzy but that could be from his nap.

The elevator makes him feel nauseous, the initial drop hitting his senses a little too hard. Sehun’s Instagram illuminates the elevator and Minseok sneaks a quick glance. He notices that Sehun’s Instagram is pretty, full of pictures of sunsets and city skylines, places far beyond the reach of an office job. The second thing he notices is that its two in the morning and fuck, it’s that late.

He wonders why Sehun stuck around, how long he’s been sleeping, how long Sehun spent trying to wake him. He wonders how Sehun is going to get home. 

“How are you…Do you need a ride?”

“Sir, I’m not letting you drive this tired, taxis are a thing”

Sehun giggles back at him, seems to think its cute but Minseok thinks Sehun is cute too.

"Looks like you’re my taxi driver then.” Minseok laughs as the elevator opens at the car park level underneath the building. 

Its incredibly dark, the green flicker of the security light making Minseok feel uneasy as usual but he’s always been afraid of the dark. He’ll invest in better lighting, mentally stores that information for sorting tomorrow, already thinks about investing in a security guard. 

Theres one car left and its in Minseok’s personal space, the one with CEO painted boldly on the concrete in white and a telling off via e-mail for anyone else that parks there. He’s got a black Audi for several reasons. He’s a low profile kind of guy, its nice enough but not too flashy, he doesn’t need to spend hours of his Monday evenings cleaning it like he would if he had gone with the white one and he likes how smooth it drives. 

Once he’s sat in the passenger seat, briefcase thrown to the back seat and seatbelt on, he watches Sehun try and start his car, just now thinking that he doesn’t know if Sehun can actually drive or not. He’s either first or last to leave his office, always, which doesn’t make way for observing how others get to work or what they do outside of work, even if he sometimes wishes he knew. 

The Audi rumbles softly to a start, Sehun having worked out the controls, focussing extra hard on pressing the right things. 

“You don’t pay me enough for this stress, sir” Sehun jokes, like he’s not enjoying the feel of Minseok’s expensive car under his fingertips, feeling how smooth the steering wheel is, sturdy and luxurious.

“I definitely don’t” Minseok replies as Sehun backs out of the space.

“You don’t have to call me sir, Sehun” Minseok contributes, after they reach the main road, street lights around Gangnam flying past as Sehun makes use of the lack of traffic.

“I don’t. Not behind your back at least”

Minseok turns to Sehun, goes to throw in some witty reply but can’t. He can’t because Sehun’s hair is out of place and his shirt sleeves are rolled up, the veins in his forearms prominent from how tight he’s holding the wheel. Minseok’s heart rate definitely ups when he moves a hand to rest on the console, relaxing into the feel of the car a little more. 

It’s a fourteen minute drive to the apartment building he lives on the eighteenth floor of, but he’s already asleep again, head lolling to the side, barely supported by the seat, hair even more messed up than before.  
_____________________________________________________________________________________

 

Panic sets in as he wakes up. He’s in his bed and there is far too much light pouring in. He also has no clue what time it is. The sun is up and that gives him enough of an idea that he’s late. Finding quickly that swinging his arms is an inefficient way of finding his phone, he checks the bedside table, the most obvious place. Whatever saint got him into his bed last night needs a thank you because its there, along with a glass of water and a note written on paper torn from the unused to-do list on his refrigerator because Minseok likes to believe he’s organised sometimes.

Sir,

Minseok, 

I turned your alarm off, please rest

Please.

 

He finds his phone drained of battery, lying black on the side but he finds he doesn’t mind. Rolling over and on to his back, he smiles up at his ceiling, deciding that he needs a day off, needs some space, needs to watch a sunset from his own home for the first time in too long. 

Minseok takes it slow, makes green tea instead of coffee, doesn’t need the extra help today, is happy just to be exhausted for once. This afternoon is wasted in the best way, with a pointless home renovation show and a blanket, curled up into the deep cushions of his sofa. His iPhone remains silent, still switched off and for once, Minseok enjoys just being alone. 

As a pallet of deeper colours start to fill his living room, reds and oranges creeping in, he decides that the best place to view the sunset is from his own room, huge windows capturing the best sunset he’s ever seen. He turns his phone on to take a picture because while Minseok’s memory is a compilation of sunsets, he rarely photographs them himself. Its a memory, this particular sunset, of that one day where he got to just exist, without all the worry. There are a lot of things he wants to say to Sehun now, starting with thank you.

Obnoxious beeping noises are coming from his phone, clogged up from the days work he hasn’t done, mostly e-mails, more problems needing to be solved but Minseok doesn’t care, just switches it back off once the sun has dipped low enough.  
_____________________________________________________________________________________

 

“I’m going to get lunch, fancy anything?”

Minseok is almost tempted to reply with something sarcastic, like “you” but sarcasm doesn’t work when you’re only half lying. 

“I’ll come out with you, this shit sucks”

He tosses the papers back into the in-tray, regretting his decision to not staple the relevant ones together almost immediately as he watches them slide out of their pile, conjoining with the other ones. Fuck it. Later, he thinks.

“I take it back, all that sleep made you weird. You’re a health food in pyrex boxes kind of guy, I thought you’d never eaten fast food before like a month ago”

“And yet, on the off chance you asked if I wanted lunch today, I’m in the Macdonalds mood” Minseok shoots finger guns, looking extra weird and Sehun just raises an eyebrow.

“Actually I was checking on the status of caffeine in your system in case you needed a top up but your sarcasm is intact so you seem fine”

Minseok has no come back, giving in to the smile that pushes his cheekbones high, gives him little crinkles at the sides of his eyes.

“where are we eating, boss?”

Minseok almost suggests Baekhyun’s restaurant but this isn’t one of his shitty dates and Baekhyun might look at him weird if he sits on his date table with Sehun, with a boy, with his secretary.

They opt for a cute little cafe, as pointed out by Sehun, tucked away but with a little menu on the door, mostly serving cakes, things entirely off limits from his diet but Minseok is more than up for that.

The array of cakes accompanied by a mocha latte suggest that Sehun has a very sweet tooth and Minseok is definitely writing this on his meal calendar as a write off day, a cheat day because thats a lot of calories. When Sehun wraps his perfect lips around a macaroon, softly biting and dragging it over his plump bottom lip on the way out, Minseok thinks he might be staring. It’s fine, Sehun is engrossed in sugar, silver hair touching the tips of his eyelashes, just shy of getting too long. Its pretty, a hair colour Minseok has never dreamed of trying to attempt, too scared of the damage and the maintenance. The only thing high maintenance about Sehun is his hair, Minseok thinks, he seems relatively passive for the most part.

Order is Minseok’s flaw. He’s got a thing about symmetry, peace and perfect things, neatness and minimalism, ironed suits and straight ties. People seem to bug him about it because “thats some serious OCD man, have you seen a psychiatrist or anything?” 

For some reason it doesn’t bug him that Sehun’s tie is a little undone, off centre, that he rolls his sleeves sloppy and loose.

“Boss, you’re staring”

Cheeks full to the brim with some sort of strawberry muffin, eyes wide and staring back at Minseok, whose brain is doing a little too much wandering. 

“Nothing to stare at.” He jokes, “Can’t believe I let you walk into my building with your tie like that in the mornings”

“You only have OCD about your own tie and it suits me like this” He smirks back, slightly cocky because he loves taking the piss out of Minseok’s perfectionist tendencies.

“I’m gonna develop OCD about your tie now I’ve noticed”

“You’ll forget about it when you get home”

I won’t, Minseok thinks, I really won’t.

Stuffed full of cake but reminded that they still have desk jobs, endless piles of work to do, Minseok pulls the cash out of his wallet, enough to cover all the food and drinks and pays. Sehun looks sort of gobsmacked, too shy and too small, compared to the cockiness Minseok is used to. He blushes nicely, Minseok notes, a light tint covering his cheeks, eyes glued to the table and fingers pulling at the band on his watch. 

“you didn’t have to…I can, I can pay for it”

“I’m sure you can, but I don’t want you to”

Sehun sucks his plump bottom lip into his mouth, pressing his teeth into it, eyes still low and looking a little spaced out. He stays shy and quiet until they reach the elevator and it gives Minseok time to fall into shyness as well. Lunch outside of his office is kind of a new thing, lunch with Sehun is an even newer thing and this should be normal but it’s not. It’s not, because Minseok is dying to bring up what he’s labelled in his head as ‘the desk incident’ where Sehun ended up putting him to bed. He wants to say fuck, I’m sorry, that’s not in your job description but he also wants to say a lot of other things, like let me make it up to you but he can’t get the words in the right order, let alone out.  
_____________________________________________________________________________________

 

There’s a flurry of people in the office, it’s roughly lunchtime, people wandering with cups of coffee, fat chocolate muffins and sad looking Caesar salads with slightly lukewarm dressing. Minseok has some sort of couscous and chicken concoction, full of protein and also decidedly boring. He doesn’t want it. Cake is tempting but there’s also a little noodle place down the road he’s wanted to try for a few months and god it can’t hurt can it. It’s Korea and eating alone in Korea isn’t too much of a thing, there’s a slight loneliness about it and the best way to fix that is to bring someone to lunch with him. Sehun. He should bring Sehun to lunch with him. Again. They could make this a weekly thing? Fortnightly? Nothing beats some good secretary/CEO bonding time.

Fuck it, he thinks.

He leaves his office, actually leaves his office for once and is immediately appalled because his company sounds like a jungle. To the right is a large room of office desks, the paperwork people, all fourteen of which are hollering at some sort of arm wrestle going on. And he thought he let these people share this floor with him because they were the quiet ones. A shiver of fear runs down his spine as to the current state of the main floor below. He elects to ignore it, figuring a stern email is probably a better route than a shouting match. 

Wandering down a little towards Sehun, whom sits directly in the line of sight of Minseok’s desk, at a larger desk than the three others who share the large room. Perhaps Sehun would like it better if he had his own office. Perhaps Minseok might not like the view from his desk to disappear. 

“So there might be a noodle place I want to go to and I might want company from my favourite secretary”

Fingers stilling on the keyboard, Sehun chuckles, already subconsciously reaching for the off button on his computer

“I’m your only secretary, sir”

Lunch is far less stressful when its in some cafe with Sehun, even if it costs him a little more. He’s just upping his protein intake at home and his gym time to counter all the calories. It turns out Minseok doesn’t know the area as well as he thought he did. He ends up in all these little cafes around random random roads close to his building that he didn’t know existed. He’s got a thing for spiced lattes now, a little extra than what he’s used to but defiantly welcome. Sehun likes trying things, likes experiencing new flavours and places and Minseok wonders if he’s ever travelled.

“I mean does Jeju count? Ive been to Japan as well, as a kid I mean.”

“What’s the best thing you’ve ever seen in your life”?

Sehun’s sipping on his coffee as they wander the streets of Gangnam in search for some new food to try, hands encased in soft gloves, cheeks red from the cold. His scarf sits loosely on his neck, more a fashion statement than a functioning piece of clothing but it’s a pretty grey that Minseok likes so he’s not about to complain. 

“I remember taking a trip to Gangwon when I was like ten and we stood on the beach, me and my mother. The east sea was endless and I was fascinated. I made my mum explain loads of things about the beach to me, like how rocks become sand, stupid shit really, but I could see the process of nature and I thought it was really cool”

“You should go back sometime, with your mother, re-live old memories”

Sehun just looks down at his coffee cup, as if he was staring at something Minseok couldn’t see.

“I wish”  
_____________________________________________________________________________________

 

There’s a small looking guy with high cheekbones and full of nervousness in his doorway but Minseok relaxes, tries to seem like a casual guy for fear of scaring him. Minseok thinks he’s seen him on the lower floor, a trainee he hired for his impressive CV and language skills. 

“Luhan, please relax.”

“Oh. Sorry sir, just a message from reception. Apparently your mother is here.”

Minseok’s eyes promptly widen to the size of Jupiter and he searches his brain for the most appropriate swear word to express himself accurately. Minseok likes precision.

“Oh fucking fuck shit”

Luhan just raises an eyebrow, having previously been unacquainted with Minseok’s less than formal vocabulary, tries not to laugh at his boss.

“Should I direct her up here?”

“No, please no, she thinks the fish are still alive”

“You had fish?”

“Her idea. Might have overfed them and they might possibly maybe have died”

Luhan is actually giggling now and Minseok feels at least semi at ease, at least someone finds this funny.

“Right, Luhan please do me a favour and find a way to get rid of the tank”

It’s huge, meant for some sort of high maintenance tropical fish and Minseok has a terrible track record with pets. 

“I’ll tell her I took it home or something. I don’t care what you do with it, keep it, smash it, take it downstairs, throw it out the window, fuck knows.”

Minseok is grabbing his coat and gloves and heading for the door quicker than Luhan can disagree, leaving him there wondering what on earth just happened and what he’s going to do with a fish tank that big.

“Sehun, we have a code red.”

“Someone died?”

“What? No, that’s code purple”

“Oh, someone threw up?”

Minseok jokingly hits him over the back of the head, realises Sehun is just toying with him.

“Mother is here and I’m too big to hide under my desk. I have to accept my fate and go have lunch with her”

“Well boss, that’s just awful, I’m going to indulge myself with frothy coffee at Cafe Pasucci”

He doesn’t have a comeback for Sehun’s joking taunts, sticking to the good old simple stuff, blowing a raspberry.

“Come get me afterwards? I might need some therapy from a friend”

If Sehun notices being called Minseok’s friend he doesn’t say anything, keeps giving back that beautiful eye smile he has, telling Minseok to hurry up, a gentlemen should never keep a lady waiting.

Minseok’s mother is uptight, posture perfect and hair neat. She doesn’t fidget, tells Minseok off for it too. She doesn’t ever say a lot but never seems to need to. Her stone cold eyes are proof enough of what she’s thinking, which is usually along the lines of being disapproving. Minseok tries to stay in line as much as possible but she’s a Venus fly trap, waiting to trap Minseok when he comes too close to the danger line. She tells him she’s picked a restaurant for lunch and Minseok has no say at all, just trails along hoping no one notices him leave in the shadow of a short lady with piercing eyes and jet black hair. 

 

 

Silently, Minseok prays for the ground to consume him whole, preferably quickly and smoothly, so he can exit the presence of his mother and Baekhyun’s restaurant, where Minseok really does not want to be. She’s on the lookout for Baekhyun, remembers him from Minseok’s teenage years and university, the only one of Minseok’s friends she ever paid attention to, because Baekhyun is too loud to miss. Minseok, hoping to be discreet, flags down Jungah, one of the regular waitresses who know him and mouths hide Baekhyun with as much panic and flapping as he can manage.

Forty Seven minutes, garlic bread and a rather substantial gin and tonic later, she’s still talking, individually assessing the current wellbeing of every member of the family she can think up. 

“Your cousin in getting married to his girlfriend, you know. She’s pretty, daughter of a long line of dentists” She says, as if the dentistry part makes her more interesting.

He’s nodding along, trying to acknowledge what she’s saying, knowing full well he’ll get quizzed at the end of the speech.

“Marriage would be so nice for the family, we haven’t had a wedding in a few years, it’s so nice when the whole family comes together for a wedding”

Marriage is not something Minseok has ever put a great deal of thought towards, has never seen himself stood next to someone, presenting them to his family as his wife, can’t seem to picture it. He’s far from stupid though, knows his mother and knows what she wants for him, knows what the topic of the conversation is hinting at. 

“So, I’ve arranged a date for you.”  
What.

“What, why would you…who?”

“Kyungsoon, you remember her don’t you, from your uncle’s fifty second birthday party”

He absolutely does not remember attending a fifty second birthday party, let alone some girl. Before he can squawk some incoherent, untruthful answer, she carries on, interrupts as if he’s not choking on his pasta trying to work out whats going on.

“Don’t disappoint your father and I, Minseok. You’re too old to play games now.”

“I have a girlfriend!”

“Don’t lie either”

Fuck.

“Thursday evening, you’re taking her out, is that clear?”

‘Fucking Fine”  
_____________________________________________________________________________________

 

Letting out the biggest sigh and grabbing his phone is all Minseok can think to do when his mother pulls away in a taxi, hopefully to stay away. He feels so defeated, like she’s wearing him down with pressure and he can’t decide. He’s got all the way here, owns his own company, home, car, the lot, but still can’t please her. Minseok has spent the last five years of his life committing to his company but he cant’ seem to commit to a person.

“How can I be of assistance, boss?”

“I need ice cream, and sympathy”

“Packed full of it, boss”

“You’re full of ice cream?”

“Umm no, leaning more on the sympathy part there”

“Just come get me please, get my car keys and drive, please”

He feels the sting of tears and he doesn’t feel like crying but he does feel sad, feels like he’s not good enough.

“Gimme ten, boss”

The weight of his phone drags his coat down a little until he adjusts it, wraps himself against the wind and the fear of disappointment. Suddenly Minseok feels very alone, very conscious and it’s familiar. Its the feeling he usually gets when he’s stood outside Baekhyun’s restaurant, except this time he’s alone for real, no pretty girl on his arm for the night, no excitement shooting adrenaline through him, just winter.

Sehun takes him home again, strong grip moving over the steering wheel, hair pushed back out of his face. Slouching into the passenger seat, he decides he enjoys this, being the passenger, getting to stare at Sehun’s jawline tense when he brakes a little hard, unused to the power of the car. It’s sharp, pale and soft looking but strikingly male. Its pretty. 

He gets caught red handed, eyes locked onto the curve of plump lips and he drops his gaze, embarrassed. More frequently he braves little glances instead, just to make sure he’s still just as pretty. Maybe he always has been.

Warmth on his knee shifts his gaze again and it’s sehun’s fingers, both slim and strong at the same time. His thumb massages a little and Minseok just watches, let’s the affection continue, glances at Sehun again and finds him looking back when the traffic allows. It’s nice and it occurs to Minseok that this isn’t routine bonding activity but nothing feels better than the comfort of someone else’s grip and Minseok feels upset again, he decides to blame the gin and tonic. 

Engrossed in the feeling of slender fingertips pressing into all the right places on his knee, he barley notices the lack of movement or engine noise before Sehun speaks.

“Do you.. I mean are you good from here?”

No. No, he’s not, he’s not done feeling this yet. Overwhelmed, he feels torn, saddened by the day his mother has given him but so comfortable with Sehun like this. He feels a tear escape, just one. It’s on the left side of his face and Sehun definitely sees it, tightens his grip a little more. Minseok’s heart somersaults.

Sehun just hauls him out of the car, pulls him close and walks them towards the elevator. Tucking Minseok against his chest he presses buttons, the right ones Minseok hopes. He smells almost sweet, unusual for a man and Minseok can’t get enough. He tucks his face away, hopes to hide the ugly mess he is right now, weighed down by a tonne of stress and feelings he never lets out. Hands on Sehun’s arms, he lets himself be walked backwards into his apartment, pale light of the early evening casting deep shadows over the furnishings. 

Set on the couch with a soft cushion, Sehun presents him with what looks like water but what, upon tasting it, Minseok realises, is gin and tonic. It’s strong the way he likes it and properly stirred, he vaguely wonders how Sehun knew.

“You need it, just let it out, be sad for a bit”

Minseok doesn’t want to be sad alone so he makes grabby hands at his secretary, hopes he gets it. Tucking himself close, he breathes Sehun in, losing himself in whatever it is he smells of. It’s intoxicating, so comfortable and warm and he feels like he’s falling and Sehun is catching him. 

“She wants me to get married”

“Don’t you want to?”

“I don’t know.”

It’s hard for him to talk about. It’s a secret, his scandalous little dates, late night passion and endless streams of pretending. It’s exhausting him, it’s lost the thrill. Fingertips wind their way through his hair and Minseok absolutely caves at the feeling, shiver spiralling through his whole body. Its feels good, Sehun feels good and he sinks into him more, slung across his lap, face pressing deeply against smooth collar bones. 

“I don’t think I want the kind of person she wants for me”

“Hyung, it depends who you marry.”

“She’s making me go on a date though.”

“You go on dates every week. Don’t pretend I don’t know who you take to Baekhyun’s.”

He almost feels caught and that’s stupid because the only person who knows what he gets up to is Sehun, his chief of table booking and cab calling. 

“Where’s this ice cream you seem to like then?” Sehun says, trying to take Minseok’s mind off it.

“bottom drawer, I think.”

Minseok is lifted from his slouched position half hanging off Sehun so the younger man can slide out from underneath him. 

“Mint chocolate or salted caramel?”

“Both”

They sit, engrossed in supposedly funny tv, some variety show with celebrity guests but Minseok can’t think about whats on the tv when he’s shivering. Ice cream, in all its glory may be excellent at relieving symptoms of a miserable day but its freezing. His hands are blotchy red, skin flaring up from the touch of the tub, water droplets sliding down over his knuckles as the ice from the outside absorbs the warmth of Minseok’s hands. He puts it down, has had enough after a while, pats his hands on his slacks to dry them a little, warm them up. Tiny shivers rack his spine, he’s never been particularly good at being cold, can’t understand why the girls he dates can bear to be outside in next to nothing. Wringing his fingertips together, he’s almost tempted to go and get his duvet but Sehun beats him to it, can see the goosebumps on the back of his neck from the chill and reaches for the fur blanket slung over the chair opposite. 

“Come here, you’re always cold”

And that’s how Minseok finds himself staying for the rest of the evening, curled up against Sehun’s chest, listening to the constant drum of his heart, tucked under his favourite blanket next to his favourite person. Sehun slides down a little more, relaxes fully into the depth of the sofa, pulling Minseok with him until all Minseok can do is curl up, slide his hand up Sehun’s broad flat chest, the slide of his white work shirt complimenting the dips and curves in his body. Sehun’s arm wraps around him, a little cue that its okay to do this, that Sehun doesn’t seem to mind Minseok’s fingertips wandering absentmindedly over his ribs.  
_____________________________________________________________________________________

 

He’s going to walk to work. It’s been decided. Sehun had left his apartment late at night, long after the last subway and Minseok has given him back the keys to the Audi, giving Sehun free reign with his pride and joy to get him home safe. Due to Sehun taking his car, he therefore has two options. Taxis are the first option, gross, smelly and over priced and not how Minseok wants to spend his journey. Walking, the second option, seems like a brilliant one. It is a brilliant one, until Minseok steps outside to three inches of overnight snowfall and onset winter. 

He tries again, this time equip with a scarf and gloves, a larger bag carrying his shoes and trainers on his feet. His work shoes are great, expensive leather and high quality. They are not however, ideal for a long walk to work because if he’s honest, he’s slipped over on the floor in the lobby of his building in those, and there was no ice in that equation then. 

Its freezing, light snowfall still seeping from he clouds above, congregating at Minseok’s feet and catching in the collar of his coat. The traffic is moving slower, more cautious of itself than usual. Seoul is full of early morning. It’s lined with businessmen, cloaked against the weather, as if leather will protect their precious paperwork. It’s full of the school run, children being chased by the mittens hanging from their wrists as they run on crisp, clean snow. Minseok wonders what the sunrise would have looked like this morning, as it overlooked the faces of Seoul, surprised at the overnight snowfall its showing them. 

Minseok spends his walk noticing things he never noticed before, like how the sky looks from outside the tint of office windows, grey from clouds, air clearer than in the summer, when heat consumes the atmosphere, humidity visible. People like hot drinks in the morning, he notices, they substitute them for hand warmers until they reach the warmth of their offices. Minseok has a hot drink every morning, but Sehun always gets it for him, sticks it on the company expenses like Minseok asks. He doesn’t expect a functioning office environment to occur without copious amounts of caffeine. 

This morning he’s up for change though, up for something a little different. Its apparently quite a challenge to hold two cups of coffee, one with two shots of hazelnut syrup, one with one shot of vanilla. Realising he has to back into every door he comes across is a new skill he’s acquired once he’s reached the office but he makes it nonetheless, feeling refreshed from the walk. 

Sehun’s desk is empty, computer switched off and chair tucked neatly to the desk. He’s not quite here yet then, but Minseok doesn’t mind, doesn’t enforce strict lateness rules anyway. The coffee is left on the desk, a neon pink post-it note attached, with a simple thank you, in Minseok’s awful cursive writing. He figures he’s not good with words but he’s better with gestures anyway. 

He’s definitely not snooping but Sehun doesn’t seem to be as strategic about hiding his things as Minseok is, so the makeshift to-do list on his desk is hard to miss. It’s scrawled with notes, things Minseok has asked him to do, errands he needs to run and then something interesting. There’s a date, December 5th, three weeks ahead, Seoul Arts Centre, theatre. Minseok wants to know what Sehun was looking at, wants access to this part of Sehun’s life, whatever it is. He’s back in his own office searching Naver in seconds. 

One click reveals a lot about Sehun that Minseok didn’t previously know. They’re ballet tickets., mostly sold out save for the special boxes. They’re expensive, unreasonable looking seats, somewhere at the back, top end of the seating section, too high and too far to the left for a good view. Sehun must want to go though.

Fingertips hovering over the ‘add to basket’ button, Minseok deliberates his next move. Perhaps the tickets would be a nice addition to the coffee but Minseok doesn’t want Sehun to think he’s been snooping. Perhaps its becoming too frequent that Minseok is saying fuck it to so many things but he also thinks that Sehun deserves the world, and box tickets.  
_____________________________________________________________________________________

 

Thursday rolls around too soon and Minseok is faced with threats of his mother’s presence if he doesn’t adhere to her dating regime. He doesn’t want to spend time pretending he wants someone he doesn't. There’s a certain amount of pressure hanging over this and Minseok isn’t at his best under pressure. 

It’s strangely dark this evening, sun creeping lower earlier than Minseok had expected, leaving nothing but shadows covering the floor of his apartment. Its silent, save for the road and the people below, probably on their way home from work. Minseok is all out of movies to watch and all out of ice cream. The silence is sinking into him in the worst way. Despite his heating being on high, he feels the chill of loneliness. No amount of blankets replace the feeling of someone else. 

Spinning his phone between his fingers, he paces, deliberates the consequences of his next move. On one hand he can’t stand this, sitting around alone feeling miserable. On the other, he’s feeling hesitant to book that corner table again, to give Baekhyun a call and persuade him to hold a bottle of his favourite spare until he gets there. 

For once, he thinks, it might be worth skipping the dinner but he’s a gentleman and since when do gentlemen ignore dinner. 

The phone feels heavy as he presses call. 

Four hours later and it’s not satisfaction Minseok feels under his skin but guilt.  
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Minseok brings Sehun coffee again the following morning, guilt creeping into his chest. He supposes its an apology, feels he should apologise, feels he’s in the wrong. At his desk, he’s runs his hands through his hair, staring down at the floor and hoping for something other than this horrible heavy feeling. Frustration gnaws at him, tells him to stand up for what he wants a little more often. Feeling disappointed in himself, he begins the day with an expenditure review, staring at his company around him, wondering how he was strong enough to get here if he isn’t strong enough to get through this. Somewhat distracted, he barely achieves anything, ending up scrolling through online homeware catalogues, searching for nothing in particular, a new set of bedding, perhaps. He misses the smile on Sehun’s face when he sees the coffee on his desk, misses how he sits back in his chair, content and warm and opens his spreadsheets. 

Its nearing three o’clock when Sehun comes in to update him, catches Minseok’s eye as he saunters over from his desk, eyelashes dipping under the length of his hair, gazed fixed on Minseok. There’s a hammering in his chest and it takes Minseok a few seconds to realise its his heartbeat. 

“I’ve approved the plans for us to switch suppliers, so we can cut unnecessary costs, boost our profit margin for this year. I’ve also arranged for a general maintenance check of the lighting on the lower floor, some employees down there mentioned a few broken bulbs, its safer and quicker to just do a check on all of them. You have a meeting tomorrow morning at the head office of the new supplier, came to check if you want a taxi or you want to drive there?”

“I’ll drive”

“Great, the meeting is at 9:45, so I suggest you arrive there for around 9:15, apparently parking is a challenge around the office. These are the files you need, check over them for clarity…”

“Sehun..”

“…and make sure I’ve included everything. You should take an assistant, I personally recommend Junmyeon, he’s been working on the pricing strategy so he should be the most clear.”

“Sehun.”

Sehun suddenly looks a little sheepish, like he’s about to get told off, like he’s done something wrong.

“I’d prefer you to come with me tomorrow”  
“Why…you don’t need me there, Junmyeon is…”

“He’s not you.”

Theres a silence, Sehun looking like he has a lot to say, a little blush creeping in over his cheeks. His fingers are clasped over his papers, nervously fiddling with the corners, flicking it back and forth over and over.

Eventually, he manages a sentence, “I can’t get there”

“I’ll drive you”, Minseok responds without a second thought, curious as to why Sehun is staring at the ground, doesn’t want to look at Minseok.

“I live too far away”

In a sudden realisation, Minseok notices that he actually has no idea where Sehun lives, has never asked or needed to know. 

“Doesn’t matter”, He reaches forward, spurred on by the desire to comfort Sehun, who looks somewhat sad, threads his fingers into Sehun’s hair and sifts through. Sliding his had down over Sehun’s face, he tilts him so he’s looking at Minseok, lets his thumb caress Sehun’s pretty cheekbones. 

“Okay”

Fingertips still sliding over Sehun’s cheeks, down to his jaw, Minseok smiles back. 

“Come on, I want more coffee, can’t leave my sweetener behind.”

He feels the lift in Sehun’s cheeks as he smiles, presses his face into Minseok’s hand, like doesn’t want the touch to end. It does nothing to curb the weird feeling in Minseok’s chest.  
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Fuck, that is far, Minseok thinks when his phone displays Sehun’s address on its screen and he wonders how long it takes Sehun to get home everyday. It’s on the other side of Seoul but thats okay because Minseok likes early morning drives and he might like Sehun even more. By seven in the morning he’s passes the traffic collecting on Banpo bridge, headed for somewhere close to Seodaemun. The car recognises where he’s going, Sehun’s address saved to the system from a few weeks back. Life on the other side of the river is a little different, and its nice to be away from the high rises for the morning, be closer to the ground than usual. There are two coffees sitting snug in his cup holder, a little morning breakfast pastry in the seat in case Sehun hasn’t eaten.

Sehun lives on a quiet street but the number of restaurants and bars suggests this is just a morning thing. Theres a twenty-four hour naengmyeon place at the end of the road, a few convenience stores and some meat grill places too, a whole different world to Minseok’s high-rise suite in Gangnam. He looks a little out of place in his best suit, waiting in his car but Sehun doesn’t take long, walks out after a minute in Minseok’s personal favourite suit, dark grey with a contrasting black shirt and no one else could pull it off like that.

Minutes later they’re on their way to Suwon, just outside of Seoul for this and a few other meetings today. Minseok pushes his car a little when they leave Seoul, enjoying the open road space, a few less cars to be concerned with. Sehun is blushing into his coffee and Minseok has never seen him like this. He’s always self-assured, prompt and perfect, never seems to falter under Minseok’s CEO stare. Right now he looks like he’s not ready, like he does’t deserve to be here but Minseok knows he does. Before he can stop himself, he places his hand on Sehun’s knee, just a little notion of comfort, a little reminder that its okay. Sehun visibly relaxes into his touch. 

It turns out to be a long day, his new supplier is less effective on the paperwork front than his own company and Minseok feels proud, of Sehun and the rest of his team. By the fourth meeting Minseok just wants his bed.

“I believe we presented your company with a financial statement, outlining the total cost and any additional charges. If you’re okay with it, we will have you sign now.”

Minseok reaches for his pen, ready to get this shit done and leave but Sehun interjects, completely cuts him up, reaching forward and pulling Minseok’s pen from his grip, soft fingers touching Minseok’s own. 

“I’d like to dispute some of these charges before we sign anything. You have quoted us an additional charge for the wrapping and containment of the products which I find unreasonable. We have never paid any such charge and it it the responsibility of your company, as outlined in your contract to ensure the adequate packaging of any product we purchase from you.”

He keeps it up, picking out loopholes in the contract and Minseok can do nothing but sit there and let Sehun show off. He’d hired Sehun for his incredible work ethic and his organisation, the perfect secretary. He hadn’t considered for a second, anything else Sehun might be good at, like the bits Minseok missed, his attention to detail clearly impeccable. 

They leave with a far better deal than they expected, Sehun having threatened reconsideration on the contract if the supplier had not adhered.

In the car, they drive towards the Seoul sunset, looming over the coast to the west, as the landscape switches between cities. Sehun is asleep ten minutes in, curled up on himself, using his scarf as a pillow and Minseok tries to drive extra careful so as not to wake him. 

He wakes him as they cross the bridge to Mapo, dark expanse of the river below them, the evening well under way with bustling life on the Hangang. Slamming on the brakes a little hard, Minseok rouses Sehun, quickly easing off and resting the temptation to press his horn at the offending driver in front. 

“Sorry, I…”

Sehun doesn’t respond, just dips his head towards Minseok, pulls his hand from the steering wheel and laces the fingers with his own, stroking over the knuckles. Feeling a stab at his chest, his nose tingles, eyes stinging as he tries to hold back the feeling of being consumed by this beautiful boy. As he looks at Sehun when the stop lights make him pause, he is forced to take a sharp intake of breath as everything creeps up on him in one go. Wrapped in his warmest looking coat, deep grey scarf tightly hooked around his neck, Sehun, Minseok realises, is what he wants, is whats missing. The evening light hits his cheeks just right, eyelashes long and creating little shadows underneath them. Theres a rose hint to his face from the cold but he suits it, looks so real like this. 

When they reach Sehun’s place, Minseok kills the engine, keeps his fingers firmly interlocked with Sehun’s slightly colder ones. Sehun is staring at him, a sleepy, sweet smile over his face and Minseok wants to kiss him. Trying to breathe steady he attempts to form some sort of coherent sentence in his head, ends up with nothing. 

“Minseok” Sehun smiles, but even through his smile he’s crying, tears lacing through their fingers as he holds them close to his face, staining his cheeks and his scarf.

He’s still not coherent, the only thing his brain can comprehend is three words but he’s not sure he’s ready to tell Sehun just yet. He does the only thing he can think to do, pulls Sehun in by their interlocked hands and lets his face sit a few centimetres from Sehun’s.

It takes a breath and balls of steel but he does it, slides his spare hand to Sehun’s beautiful jaw, and kisses him. He’s just as soft as Minseok dreamed he’d be, plump lips giving easily under Minseok’s. It’s the sweetest kiss he’s ever managed to give anyone, it sends a spark up his spine and Minseok knows this is what he’s been wanting to feel, the give of these perfect lips under his own as he gently pulls at them, keeping it slow. Sehun melts, like he’s been waiting for this his whole life, tears catching on Minseok’s eyelashes as he lets them overflow. 

“Sehun, you’re perfect.”  
____________________________________________________________________________________

 

At ten o’clock the next morning, Minseok feels antsy, Sehun hasn’t turned up at work and his skin is crawling with fear. He’s worried he fucked up, that kissing his secretary actually wasn’t the right life choice, that Sehun doesn’t want to work for someone who kisses him in their car. He paces, continuously up and down until his phone rings. It’s Baekhyun.

“Hyung, I called at like eight and you weren’t in the office yet. Did you get my message?”

“Good morning Baekhyun, glad to hear you’re okay and yes, I’m fine thank you for asking.”

“Ooohh we are touchy this morning. Caffeine only works for so many years Minseok, you’ve gotten used to its effects.”

“Asshole”

“Harsh but fair, I’ll take it”

“Sorry, weird day, what’s up?”

“Right so I’ve been arranging a guestlist only New Years dinner service, specialty menu and all and you, as my oldest richest friend are absolutely not allowed to provide me with an excuse as to why you can’t come.”

“i’m not even trying to argue my way out of that. I spent a lot of money on karaoke last time I did”

“Good choice”. The sound of a pen scratching from down the phone indicates Baekhyun marking him onto his table plan.

“I left a message for you with Sehun this morning, the chick you brought here the other day called, says she wants another date but doesn’t have your number, told her I’d sort her out”

Minseok’s entire world comes crashing down. His heart skyrockets with panic, he gets jittery, terrified of what Sehun knows. Another wave of guilt pangs through his chest and he feels like he’s betrayed him. 

“Baek. Do me a favour, tell her to fuck off, I’m gay anyway”

The silence is an indication enough of Baekhyun’s expression, mouth open enough to catch flies, as he tries to process this new revelation.

“I think I love Sehun” Minseok confesses between breaths.

“Oh shit. Fuck man, I’m sorry, I told Sehun about you and this girl.”

“Baek, he’s not here, fucking fuck what do I do?”

“Hey, I’m sure it will be fine, go get your man, stop hiding behind people you don’t want”

“I will, thanks Baek.” Baekhyun cheers

“Go get ‘em, hyung.”

____________________________________________________________________________________

 

Minseok locates Luhan on the main floor, engrossed in a magazine and a rather shiny looking apple. There’s a sense of urgency about his demeanour, he walks faster than usual and Luhan sees him coming, startles a little before gathering his thoughts. Pointing his finger directly at Luhan, whose mid-bite into his morning snack, Minseok beckons him over, ushering him out of the room and into the hallway, decidedly more quiet. 

“Sehun, where’s Sehun?”

Luhan scoffs. “I know you can’t cope without him but he did tell you he needed the morning off.”

“No he didn’t, I would know.”

“No boss, you wouldn’t know. Sehun spends so much time taking care of you, knows everything about you and you know nothing about him.”

Fucking what.

“I know everything about him, where the fuck is he?” Minseok cringes a little though, recalls how he didn’t even know where Sehun lives or how he got home, feels a bit bad about it.

“He went to see his mother.” 

Before Minseok can ask where that might be, Luhan has turned and left and Minseok feels very confused. He’s talked to Sehun about his mother, she was a dancer apparently, he remembers how she told him about the beach when Sehun looked over at the East Sea and suddenly a whole bunch of things fall into place.

An hour later he’s staring out of his window, not bothering to touch his work, too much rattling around in his brain. He feels stupid, like he’s expected all this care and attention from Sehun and hasn’t given any back. He’s spent the last few months thinking only about himself and not about what Sehun night actually want, guilt killing him inside. 

He thinks back to Sehun taking him home, bringing him coffee, scheduling Minseok’s dates, all the whole, Minseok has been breaking Sehun’s heart and his own in the process. Head in his hands he tries to compose himself, work out how he’s going to tell Sehun, needs to tell him everything because he deserves to know. He feels like a cheat, like he gave Sehun a hint of interest and stabbed him in the back by going on the date his mother set up. He slept with a woman and all the whole wished it was Sehun underneath him, he thinks that an apology is all he has to give. 

Minseok waits it out all day, has called Sehun thirty eight times, text him fifty four times and cried over him six times. He’s a bit of a mess. He’s sat in a pile on he floor of his office, back pressed to the front of his desk where he stares at Sehun’s empty desk, wishes he could see his pretty smile.

When Sehun sits down next to him on the floor, the sunset is pouring into Minseok’s office, feels hues of purple reflecting the anger if the sky and Minseok feels like that too. Neither say anything for a few minutes but the silence is becoming devastating so Minseok fills it.

“Sehun.” He steadies himself.

“Sehun, I promise I know a lot about you. You’re a sucker for sweet things, you bite your lips when you think no one is watching, you love Friends more than I do, you listen to movie theme tunes in your lunch break. You’re diligent, and hardworking, you never miss a detail and you’re beautiful.”

Sehun shifts, hands fiddling with the line of stitching on his slacks, eyes trained on the ground.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have gone on that date, I shouldn’t have done that to you.” Minseok says, pausing to give Sehun time to process.

“Your mother taught you to dance when you were younger and I know she’d be so proud if she ever got to see you.” Minseok says, quieter this time.

Sehun’s tears stain his face again, carving lines of sadness over him and Minseok can’t bear it. He scoops him up, using brute strength and pulls him into his lap, tucks his head under his chin.

“Can I make it up to you?” He pulls the tickets he should have given Sehun last week out of his pocket. “I should have been taking care of you all this time.”

“You can take care of me now.” Sehun smiles, kissing Minseok’s cheek as he smooths the tickets over in his hands. 

“This is...I love you.”

“I think Ive loved you longer, sir.”

Tilting Sehun in his grip he kisses him because he doesn’t think anyone could ever be this perfect, tear stained and tired, he’s all Minseok ever needed. Minseok has never seen a more perfect sunset than this one, where the colours, vibrant and clear, refract off the glass, setting in over Sehun, who suits the sunset so well.


End file.
